[Mischief]

Just read a posting from Walt Matzek on the home fire caused by BLO. ( so sorry to hear about that Walt) and with Earth Day around the corner, I was wondering whats everyone's experience in finding green products to use in our carving process e.g sealers, paints, wood etc. I use the word "green" because I believe BLO is organic....just organic that woke up on the wrong side of the work bench.

[BobD]

Well...Actually, pure tung oil is a lot more green than BLO; BLO has all sorts of metallic driers added...

Pure linseed oil is a little more natural, but it takes FOREVER to dry.

I actually use tung oil on a lot of my work...it doesn't yellow as much as BLO, but pure tung oil is a bit thick, and it is more expensive.

Bob

[Lynn O. Doughty]

We recently bought an additional 10 acres and have been trying to cut down 3 trees a day for the past month to open it up. In recognition of Earth Day I think we'll try for 5.

BLO might be organic and considered green but I'll bet the CO2 and other pollutants put in the atmosphere by poor Walt's house burning will cancel any benefits derived from using it for years to come.

[BobT]

So, can you thin Tung Oil, like with Mineral Spirits, Turp, etc? If so, seems like a better product to use.

What is the downside? Any?

[BobD]

You can thin tung oil with mineral spirits, etc., the same as BLO (in fact, you can get a tung oil finish by Formbys that is already thinned--I use that when I need a thinner finish). But in it's pure state, it's actually 100% non-toxic and food safe.

I'll be honest, I use it for carvings I leave natural. I've never used it like people use (as an antiquing medium when you mix in burnt umber oil paint, etc.)...so I don't know how well that would work. I've also never used it over acrylic paint, so I don't know how that works either. If I'm paint a carving, usually seal it with a highly thinned shellac, paint it with washes, and apply spray lacquer to the top.

Bob

[Kenny_S]

I use BLO to pop the color washes on some carvings. But not as an antiquing. It depends also if I use washes or undeluted paint.
If you get down to it, most anything you use as a portectant will cause a problem if not handled correctly. It depends on what one prefers and I believe BLO isn't for everyone.

[Sharon of the Dell]

Hey Lynn, Gotta have my husband read your comment, It will make his day when he gets home from work! IT made my day!

[TreeWizard]

Lynn: Just a bit of info regarding green and woodburning. I had a professor at Cornell who always said the only truly green way to heat your house is to burn wood. As it grows it takes in CO2 and releases oxygen, and when it burns it releases the CO2 it took in while it grew. Hence it is carbon neutral.

[AlArchie]

Hate to lock up with your Cornell Prof, there TreeWizard, but if the only source of carbon for growing trees was from the CO2 absorbed during photosynthesis, he'd be right.

BUT, and it's BIG BUT. Carbon is also absorbed from ground sources, as are phosphorus, potasium, nitrogen and a host of minor nutrients. Add to that mixture hydrogen which is produced from water when the oxygen is released during that same photosynthesis, and there is a very volatile mixture of released pollutants when wood is burned; phosphor compounds, potasium compounds, CO, nitrous oxide, creosote, and a host of others depending on the amonts of iron, copper, and other heavy metals that have been absorbed during the growing process. It just ain't that straight trade off your prof told you about.

That is the reason wood burning stoves are being outlawed or restricted, even in our local northwoods area. Modern wood burning stoves are required under federal regulations to be equiped with catalytic converters, much the same as gas and diesel engines now are, but even they are not 100% effective.

Carbon, hydrogen and oxygen - Available from air and water and therefore in plentiful supply
Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium (a.k.a. potash) - The three macronutrients and the three elements you find in most packaged fertilizers
Sulfur, calcium, and magnesium - Secondary nutrients
Boron, cobalt, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum and zinc - Micronutrients

Guess that doesn't have much to do with the venerable, or horrible BLO, but still noteworty.

Al